🥬 How to Preserve Your Kale Harvest: 4 Easy Ways to Store Garden Kale

Written By Jill Ahlstrand

Kale is one of the hardiest and most productive crops in the garden—if you’ve grown it, you know it can come in fast and furious! But what do you do when you’ve got more kale than you can eat in a week? Preserve it.

In this post, I’m sharing four ways to preserve your kale harvest so you can enjoy it long after the growing season ends:

  • Dehydrate and grind into kale powder

  • Blanch and freeze for easy cooking later

  • Turn it into a fermented kale kraut

  • Make a kale pesto

Preserving kale is simple, sustainable, and an excellent way to reduce waste while maximizing nutrition all year long. Who doesn’t want to benefit from their garden in the dead of winter?

🌿 Method 1: Dehydrate & Make Kale Powder

This is one of my favorite ways to preserve kale—it’s compact, shelf-stable, and nutrient-dense. Perfect for adding to soups, smoothies, sauces, and even salad dressings.

Steps:

  1. Wash and dry your kale thoroughly.

  2. Remove the tough stems.

  3. Tear leaves into smaller pieces and lay them in a single layer on dehydrator trays.

  4. Dehydrate at 110–125°F (43–52°C) for 6–10 hours until completely crisp.

  5. Once dry, grind the kale using a coffee grinder, high-speed blender, or mortar and pestle.

  6. Store your kale powder in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place.

💡 Tip: Label with the date. It can last up to a year, especially if kept away from light and moisture.Section 1

❄️ Method 2: Blanch & Freeze

Great for cooking—blanched frozen kale can go straight into soups, stir-fries, and sautés.

Steps:

  1. Wash kale and strip leaves from stems.

  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

  3. Drop kale in boiling water for 2.5 minutes.

  4. Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.

  5. Drain and squeeze out excess water.

  6. Pack into freezer-safe containers or silicone molds (like muffin tins) for portioning.

  7. Label and freeze for up to 6–8 months.

💡 Tip: You can also chop it up before freezing to make it easier to toss into dishes later.

3. Pickle It for Gut Health

Pickled kale develops a tangy, kimchi-like flavor and adds probiotic benefits to your meals.

Pickled Kale Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 6 large leaves of kale

  • 2 cups filtered water

  • 1/4 cup vinegar

  • a few peppercorns

  • 1 tbsp sea salt

  • Optional add-ins: garlic, red pepper flakes, ginger, mustard seeds

Instructions:

  1. Wash kale and strip leaves from stems. Chop roughly.

  2. Add water, vinegar, peppercorns, and salt to a pot and bring to a boil.

  3. Add kale to pot and simmer for 2 minutes.

  4. Place kale in small mason jar, and pour brine to cover, leaving at least 1/2 inch of headspace.

  5. Weigh the kale down with a fermenting weight or clean rock.

  6. Cover with a lid and let sit in your refrigerator for a couple days before eating.

  7. Will keep in refrigerator for a couple of months.

Use Pickled Kale:

  • On sandwiches or wraps

  • With rice or grain bowls

  • As a tangy side dish

4. Make Dairy-Free Kale Pesto

Pesto is a flavorful and flexible way to preserve kale.

Kale Pesto Recipe (Vegan & Oil-Free):

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups packed kale leaves (stems removed)

  • ½ cup fresh basil (or more kale)

  • ½ cup walnuts or almonds

  • 2–3 tbsp lemon juice

  • 1-2 garlic cloves

  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • Salt to taste

Instructions:

  1. Add all ingredients except oil to a food processor or blender.

  2. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.

  3. Add olive oil while food processor is running.

  4. Taste and adjust seasoning.

How to Use It:

  • Stir into pasta or whole grains

  • Spread on sandwiches

  • Use as a dip for veggies or crackers

  • Freeze in small mason jars

If you’d like a visual walkthrough of any of these preservation methods, check out my YouTube video here where I walk you through my process.

Why Kale Deserves a Spot in Your Kitchen (and Freezer!)

Kale is a nutritional powerhouse, especially celebrated for its role in supporting breast health. As a cruciferous vegetable, kale is rich in glucosinolates—compounds that, when broken down during digestion, form biologically active compounds like sulforaphane. These have been studied for their potential anti-cancer properties, particularly in hormone-related cancers such as breast cancer.

High in antioxidants, fiber, and anti-inflammatory compounds, kale supports the body’s natural detox pathways and may help reduce the risk of cancer by neutralizing carcinogens and inhibiting tumor growth. Including kale regularly in your diet—fresh or preserved—is a simple and delicious way to nourish your body with protective plant compounds.

🌱 Final Thoughts

Kale is too good to let go to waste! Whether you're blending it into a smoothie, stirring it into soup, or sprinkling kale powder onto roasted veggies, having preserved kale on hand adds a nutritional boost to almost any dish.

Let me know in the comments how you like to preserve your leafy greens—or if you try any of these methods!

Looking for support to simplify your kitchen and embrace seasonal eating? Check out how I can help on the Work With Me page.

📌 Reference Section

Jill Ahlstrand
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